Insulated joint for railroad rails



-T. O'BRIEN. INSULAIIED JOINT FOR RAILROAD RAILS.

Patented Feb. 21, 1922.

APPLICATION FILED IULY 25,192I.

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ATTORNEYS- in the accompanying drawing, but the 1m-' ,UNETED STATES PATENT 1,;

. THOMAS O IBRIEN, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

Application filed July 26,

I To all whomit may concern:

Be. it known "that I, THOMAS OBRIEN, a citizen of-the United States,'residing in the city and countyoffPhiladelphia, State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and use ful Insulated Joint for Railroad Rails, 'of which the'following is a specification.

7 My invention consists of railroad rails havingan insulated joint, and furthermore means for firmly connectingsaid rails and the cheek pieces employed with a chair, base or splice piece employed at said joint and aside of the'latter, as will be hereinafter set forth.

The invention is satisfactorily illustrated portant instrumentalities thereof may be varied, and so it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the specific details shown and described, as long as they are within the spirit or scope of the claims.

Figure 1 represents a top or plan view of an insulated joint for railroad rails, and connecting means for the latter embodying my invention.

Figure 2 represents a vertical section thereof on line 2-2 Figure 1.

Figure 3 represents a vertical section thereof on line 33 Figure 1.

Figure 4 represents a perspective view of a portion of one of the cheek pieces employed.

Figure 5 represents a perspective view of an anchor member employed for connecting the cheek piece and rails with the chair or base member of the device.

Similar numerals of reference indicate corresponding parts in the figures. Referring to the drawings.

1 designates railroad rails, 2- designates cheek pieces on the sides thereof, and 3 designates a chair or base member on which the rail and cheek pieces are superimposed, said base member forming a splice piece for adj a cent rails at the joint thereof.

4 designates bolts which are passed through the cheek pieces and the necks of the rails securing the cheek pieces with the rails, said bolts having thereon the tightening nuts 5 for evident purposes, said cheek pieces thus firmly connecting adjoining rails. On the under sides of the heads of the rails, the

sides of the necks and around the bases of the rails is fibrousor other suitable material 6 which insulates the rails from thecheek pieces. Surrounding the bolts WltlIlIl. the

Specification of Letters Patent.

atented b Feb. 21, 1922. 1921. Serial No. 487,668..

openings inthegcheek pieces are sleeves 7 of fibrous material which insulates the bolts from the cheek pieces.-

VVashers 8 are placed on the bolts in contactwith theheads 9 of the bolts 4, and the nuts 5, and they are insulated therefrom by the discs 10 of fibrous or other material which encircle the sleeves 7 and have the washers connected with them, thus efi'ectually: insulating the contiguous parts of the device. H F r On the chair 3 is placed the pad 11 forming a cushion on which the bases of the rails are imposed on thermeetingends of said rails. The insulating material on the bases of the rails extends to and contact with said pad, as most plainly shown in Figure 2, thus insulating the rails from said pad and consequently from the base 3.

On one side of the chair 3 is the inturned flange 12 which is adapted to overhang the lower portion of the cheek piece 2 on said side and so interlockingly engage said cheek piece so as to hold it firmly in position against the base of the rail and the neck thereof. The side of the chair opposite to the flange 12 is formed with the upright shoulder 13 which is so spaced as to readily allow the rail to be seated on the chair and the opposite cheek piece to be fitted under the flange 12 and held by the same as has been stated. Now, in order to lock the cheek piece on the side adjacent to the shoulder 18, I employ the anchor 14 which consists of the horizontal plate 15 and the vertical limb 16 depending from the outer side thereof, said plate 15 having therein the vertical bolt opening 17. Said plate 15 is imposed on the outer side of the adjacent cheek piece 2, while the outer face of the limb 16 engages with the inner face of the shoulder 13, said faces being inclined or tapering so that said limb will wedge downwardly with said shoulder. Through the opening 17 and a registering opening 18 in the base of the chair 3 is inserted the vertically extending bolt 19, the upper threaded end of which has thereon the nut 20 which when tightened presses the anchor firmly in place causing the plate and limb of said anchor to hold the latter firmly against the side and lower portion of the cheek piece, and thus both cheek pieces are held tightly against the rails and the chair, and the rails are correspondingly clamped to the chair whereby the rails are held steadily in place.

' piece.

drawn down by the bolt against the shoulder The flange 12 of the chair 3 which overhangs the adjacent cheek piece 2, as has been stated, has its undersidei'n'clined to accord with the inclined upper face of said cheek Consequently, when the anchor leis 13, the chair is moved in thepresent caseto the right, whereby said' flan'ge '12 is moved over said cheek piece and wedged against the same and so the opposite sides of the rails are-most firmly held in position by'the check pieces and chair. #It will be seen that sufiicient space exists between the shoulder 13 and the adjacent cheek piece to receive the anchor and the latter is located about the joint of adjacent rails at opposite sidesthereof, and so the rails are most firmly sustained at said joint.

The cheek piece2 shown in Figure'is provided with the recess 21 for the reception of the bolt 19, and both cheek pieces and the adjacent portions of the chair'are formed with registering openings 22 for spiking purposes. 1 Havin-g thus described my invention what and an' anchor,'said chair having on one side; i

a flange adapted to clamp one of said cheek pieces, and on theother "side 'an upwardly extending shoulder, said anchor beingadapted to clamp the other cheek piece and having its outer'side provided with a member adapt; l

ed t o wedgewith said shoulder.

Witnesses: I JOHN A. Wmnnnsnnm, N. BUSSINGER.

THOMASOBRlELl. Y 

